How to follow the Laser Radial World Championships 2017

Sharing my experience as working nomad!

Explaining sailing

Communicatie op locatie voor uw watersportevenement

Another winter season on the road as floor manager for the IBSF!

Normally summer is the season I love the most, but at this point I can say I’m really looking forward to winter as well! The first IBSF Bobsleigh and Skeleton World Cup of this season will be in Sigulda, Letland, in December! A new track for me as IBSF floor manager, so you’ll understand I’m pretty excited! After Sigulda we head to Winterberg and in January I will be at the World Cups in Altenberg, Innsbruck and St. Moritz! In February we’re heading to a place I’ve been dreaming about since I watched speed skating on TV: Calgary!! And the World Championships will be held in Whistler! Love the vibe there as well!

Mixed Zone Manager Sailing World Championships Denmark

Three years after working at the World Championships Nacra17 in Aarhus, I was back in Denmark and I loved it! I kept in touch with the people I worked with in 2015 and they hooked me up for a new event! I feel really lucky I could be part of the local organisation of the Sailing World Championships. In August 2018 sailors from over 100 nations were racing for world championships medals and the possibility to qualify for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

It was the first time in the history of the World Championships Sailing they worked with an official mixed zone. I was asked to help them as mixed zone manager during the event. Pretty exciting challenge since the sport is totally different then bobsleigh. But it all worked out pretty well!

The Communications Manager of the local organisation wrote me this review on Facebook after the event was finished:

“Hester was coordinating the press and the mixed zones at the Sailing World Championships in Aarhus 2018. It was a great pleasure working together with Hester. Her knowledge about sailing and media made a very professional environment and a great experience for the visiting press from all over the world. Hester is flexible, helpful and has a problem solving mindset. Highly recommended “

Sailing and Mixed Zone Manager experience
The World Championships Sailing in Santander 2014 was the last event I worked for the Dutch Olympic Sailing Team. I continued working in the olympic sports industry though. In August 2017 I worked as main media contact for the local organisation of the Laser Radial Worlds in The Netherlands. In winter I am floor manager/mixed zone manager during the World Cups Bobsleigh and Skeleton for the International Bobsleigh & Skeleton Federation. And during the Olympics in Korea I was floor manager and spotter at the Olympic Sliding Center for luge, bobsleigh and skeleton.

World Championships Sailing Aarhus 2018

This was my epic day at the office: Practice Race with Bessie and Team Sun Hung Kai Scallywag

Sometimes you get offers you can’t refuse. Like when you receive an email from the Scallywags if you want to come sailing cause you work with Bessie to fix all her media stuff, so cool! And it was way cooler than I could have ever imagined… In the first photo we’re quickly going through the media schedule before the party started, we got second in the practice race in Scheveningen. Thank you Team Sun Hun Kai Scallywag! Smiles for days!

Feel free to stalk me! Even if it is a last minute call!

Last Minute Calls! Do you need someone to help you out at an event at the last-minute? Feel free to stalk me if I’m available! I can work from anywhere, even for a few hours a day. This is how I jumped in to help the media team at the Olympic Experience in Holland during the Olympic Games in Rio, but also at the Superyacht Cup on Palma de Mallorca in June 2018.

I was on Mallorca for a few days to enjoy palm trees and tapas for a few days when they needed some extra support. It really was a last minute call with one day to go to the start of the event, but I was on the island anyway and had time to jump in!

Ad Interim
Need more help than just for an event? More like an ad interim for one or two days a week? Also possible! In October and November 2018 I help Frank Jol organising stuff at the office in Amsterdam, optimising administrative and communication processes for his new company Frank Jol BV. Loving it! After the winter season I have time for a new ad interim job!

Strive not to be be a succes, but rather be of value – Albert Einstein

Our team at the Olympic Sliding Center in PyeongChang 2018

At the Olympics in PyeongChang I was spotter and floor manager for OBS at the Olympic Sliding Center, used for all bobsleigh, skeleton and luge events. We worked from early mornings till late at night, sometimes in -26 with strong winds! But what an experience to be part of this international team here at the venue in Korea!

Are you looking for a communication professional or floor manager for an international sport event? Contact me at hester@hestag.com.

Caught in the act by Getty Image Photographer Alexander Hassenstein

When working as floor manager for the International Bobsleigh & Skeleton Federation I also coordinate the content for social media on site. When I manage to get the athletes in the winners box in time for the live flower ceremony for the world feed and no unexpected things occur, I’ve got time to take some photos for social media as well. On this picture, taken in Königssee, I was caught in the act by Getty Image photographer Alexander Hassenstein.

How to follow the Laser Radial World Championships 2017

From 21 – 26 August 2017, the world’s best Laser Radial sailors will participate in the first World Championships held in the Netherlands since the Laser Radial became an Olympic-class boat in 2008. The two fleets of 100 women and 64 men representing 45 countries will sail two races back-to-back each day.

The top five world-ranked sailors of the women’s class will be in Medemblik fighting for the title of 2017 Laser Radial World Champion. The 2016 Olympic gold medalist and the last three world champions will be competing as well, setting the stage for high competition.

Marit Bouwmeester (NED), claimed gold in Rio and was named World Champion in Santander in 2014, her second world title after Perth in 2011. In 2015, Anne Marie Rindom (DEN) won the World Championships in Al Musannah, Oman, and in 2016 Alison Young (GBR) won the world title in Nayarit, Mexico.

Evi van Acker (BEL), currently leading the world rankings, and Bouwmeester will both be competing on what for both girls, feels like their home water.

In the Men’s division, returning five-time World Champion, Marcin Rudawski (POL) will be competing in the Laser Radial, along with Nik Pletikos (SLO) who placed second in the 2016 World Championship in Dun Laoghaire, Ireland.

The time of the first warning signal on 21-26 August will be 10:55. Each day succeeding races will be started as soon as possible after the finish of the previous race. Any race whose warning signal is not made by 15:00 on the last day of the championship will be abandoned and not resailed.

Sharing my experience as working nomad!

In 2012 I started to work as a digital nomad. I quit my job and started my own company. I decided I was going to specialise my business in the watersport, I just loved the sailing scene and the international lifestyle that comes with it. The first six months I booked my own tickets to events because I thought it would be really useful to get to know the (Olympic) sailing scene I was working in at that time.

It didn’t take long though until the companies I worked for needed me on location! Besides work trips to the Olympics in London, sailing events in Palma, Oman and China, I traveled to Malaysia with my laptop, and to Chili and Argentina with just an iPad. the first few years I worked 60-80 hours a week but it was one bit adventure! But I did spend almost all these hours behind my laptop. I’m really an outdoor loving, sporty type who loves to move around in stead of sit behind her laptop all day and night…

From digital nomad to working nomad

In 2016 I was asked to join the IBSF TV Crew as floor manager during the World Cups and World Championships Bobsleigh & Skeleton. Now I travel to the most amazing outdoor offices during the winter season when working for the International Bobsleigh & Skeleton Federation. I never travel without my laptop but my work is outside with amazing mountain views most of the time! From digital to working nomad!

Since I found a way of working which suits me even better, the new challenge is to combine best of both worlds. I’ve spent the first few years of my freelance career creating a pretty solid network, projects and companies to work for. Now I can just leave for the winter, be outside in the freezing cold working offline as floor manager for international sports events and talk to people in stead of my laptop! In summer I can enjoy home and combine this with visiting some cool sailing events in sunny countries!

Now I’m away most of the winter, I love spending time in Holland during summer, but I still frequently fly to sailing events like the start and finish of the Volvo Ocean Race in Alicante and Scheveningen. And every year I visit Palma de Mallorca for one or two weeks when the Olympic sailors are having their World Cups or when the Super yacht Cup is on. I love the island, it’s easy to get around and networking is amazing there! My last big summer challenge was to help the local organisation of the Sailing World Championships in Denmark with my mixed zone manager experience. It was pretty special to be part of their team and be part of the succes of the event which was also a qualifier for the Olympics in Tokyo in 2020!

Are you dreaming of a life as working nomad? Maybe these tips help!

Think about the reason why you want to be a working nomad. Do you want to be free to work from anywhere you want? Home, your favourite coffee bar, a friends’ place or a hotel room? Or do you want to be a full time traveler? If it’s definitely the last one, you might be better taking unpaid leave for a few months.

Fake it till you make it! This doesn’t mean that you need to lie about what you do. But you can tell the world what your dreams are and what you’re doing while you’re busy working on it.

Be ready to invest time and maybe a little money just to see if the lifestyle fits you and the companies you work for.

Start redefining the niche you work in and see what international possibilities this gives you.

If the companies you already work for are okay with you working from home in stead of at their office, they might be also okay with you working somewhere else and call in for a Skype meeting or Google Hangout.

If you can work from home, you can basically work from anywhere. Take a test week and book yourself a nice room in a hostel on a a relaxed island or a city. Maybe your company organises an international event, or has a foreign establishment. Just spend the week abroad and see if the lifestyle fits you and if they realise you’re actually not at home but abroad. It’s a good way to see if you still have the discipline to work at least 4-6 hours a day.

Make sure you’ve got your shit sorted. All administration online, all contacts you need and a good working phone (maybe international data bundle) so everyone can reach you.

An empty inbox helps. It gives you a lot of headspace and freedom to react instantly to requests from the companies you already work for.

If you don’t have the money to take yourself abroad for a week, try to find friends to stay with. It might even be worth finding a sport event/festival that looks for volunteers and offer them your skills. They might even accommodatie you and sort out your food. But food and a local network are worth something as well! From my own experience I know that this works pretty well!

Explaining sailing

For the 4th year in a row I organised all communication and media activities for the North Sea Regatta in The Hague – Scheveningen. These photos were taken at the North Sea Regatta by Jasper van Staveren, our event photographer in 2017.

Working on location from 29 March – 2 April

During the Olympic Classes regatta Trofeo Princesa Sofía IBEROSTAR I’m working on Palma de Mallorca from 29 March – 2 April. You can reach still reach me by whatsapp, phone or email!

Trofeo Princesa Sofía IBEROSTAR on MallorcaThe Trofeo Princesa Sofía IBEROSTAR on Mallorca is one of my favourite sailing events to visit since I started working as a freelancer. Three months after I started my own company (March 2012) I booked myself a cheap ticket to Palma and a little room in a hostel close to one of the marina’s. I wasn’t sure how to do this, but I did not have a clue what life of an Olympic sailor looked like. Since I started working for the Dutch Olympic Team in 2012 I thought I needed this opportunity to find out. It was one of the best decisions I ever made. The regatta is the opening event of the European season for the Olympic classes and always a good scene to find out what is going on, talk to coaches and sailors and find out what’s new.

At the beach with Dorian van Rijsselberghe

The making off the Trash Hunters video voor de Plastic Soup Foundation met olympisch kampioen windsurfen Dorian van Rijsselberghe tijdens de Ronde om Texel 2015. From 2013 until 2016 I helped Dorian coordinating his social media and run online campaigns, for example with HHNK (watch the campaign video here).

In Barcelona at the Nacra17 European Championships

Working in Denmark at the Nacra17 World Championships 2015 and the Nacra17 European Championships in Barcelona as pr and communication professional to do research about the Nacra17 events and how to improve communication and pr activities for future events.

Feel free

Are you working for an adventurous company or sports organisation and are you looking for a communication professional or a floor manager for your international sport event? Feel free to send me a message for more information or a coffee, with or without Skype.

WHAT OTHER PEOPLE SAY

"Working with Hester is smooth sailing! We work together on a project for The Hague Marketing and everything is always well organized. She has a very nice way of communicating and everything is well planned, so she makes sure everyone has everything they need. I highly recommend working with Hester!"

ABOUT HESTAG

"Hester was coordinating the press and the mixed zones at the Sailing World Championships in Aarhus 2018. It was a great pleasure working together with Hester. Her knowledge about sailing and media made a very professional environment and a great experience for the visiting press from all over the world. Hester is flexible, helpful and has a problem solving mindset. Highly recommended "

"I worked with Hester during the Hempel Sailing World Championship 2018 in Aarhus for around 15 days and I only have nice words to describe her She is definitely a hard worker, but also a sensitive and supportive person who always had a smile on her face and was willing to help anyone. She was in charge of the mixed zone, among many other tasks, and everything went smoothly and was so well coordinated it made it super easy to work there. Definitely, she is the kind of person that you want to have around during a sailing event, either working at the media center or going out for a nice and relaxed dinner or walk. I hope we see each other again soon Hester "